Great Bath | ruins, public baths

Pakistan / Sind / Dokri /
 ruins, public baths
A general view of the "Great Bath" and adjoining rooms. In the background is a massive brick structure referred to as the "Granary". Built on top of a tapered brick platform this building had a solid brick foundation that extended for 50 meters east west and 27 meters north south. The foundation was divided into 27 square and rectangular blocks by narrow passageways, two running east west and 8 running north south. Some of these blocks had square sockets for holding wooden beams or pillars and the entire super structure was thought to have been made of timbers.

Now that the entire structure has been excavated it is impossible to determine what types of artifacts were found in the passageways or nearby rooms, but the lack of charred grain or even storage containers, and the absence of sealings from bundles of goods all raise doubts as to the identification of this structure as a granary or a storehouse. A more appropriate name for this structure would be the "great hall" since it was clearly a large and spacious building with wooden columns and many rooms.

The "great bath" is without doubt the earliest public water tank in the ancient world. The tank itself measures approximately 12 meters north-south and 7 meters wide, with a maximum depth of 2.4 meters. Two wide staircases lead down into the tank from the north and south and small sockets at the edges of the stairs are thought to have held wooden planks or treads. At the foot of the stairs is a small ledge with a brick edging that extends the entire width of the pool. People coming down the stairs could move along this ledge without actually stepping into the pool itself.

The floor of the tank is water tight due to finely fitted bricks laid on edge with gypsum plaster and the side walls were constructed in a similar manner. To make the tank even more water tight, a thick layer of bitumen (natural tar) was laid along the sides of the tank and presumably also beneath the floor. Brick colonnades were discovered on the eastern, northern and southern edges. The preserved columns have stepped edges that may have held wooden screens or window frames. Two large doors lead into the complex from the south and other access was from the north and east. A series of rooms are located along the eastern edge of the building and in one room is a well that may have supplied some of the water needed to fill the tank. Rainwater also may have been collected for this purposes, but no inlet drains have been found.

Most scholars agree that this tank would have been used for special religious functions where water was used to purify and renew the well being of the bathers.
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Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohenjodaro#Architecture_and_urban_infrastructure
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Coordinates:   27°19'31"N   68°7'57"E

Comments

  • It was very educational and helpful for my social studies report on Mohenjo-Daro. I loved it! Thanks to whoever wrote this, much appriciated :)
  • was sex allowed there ?
This article was last modified 8 years ago